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Alpha-gal Syndrome: Meat Allergy Linked To Tick Bites Rising, CDC Says
The rate of Americans developing a rare meat allergy from tick bites is rising, researchers say, and may have already impacted as many as 450,000 people.
New data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday shows a steep increase in cases of alpha-gal syndrome.
The allergy triggers a possibly life-threatening reaction to several types of meat or animal products.
US scientists have traced alpha-gal to saliva from the lone star tick.
The tick is identified by the white spot on its back and is mostly found in southern and eastern parts of the US. But experts warn that their range is expanding due to climate change.
Blood-sucking bites from the lone star, formally called the Amblyomma americanum, can make a person sick when they consume certain meat and animal products made from mammals.
The list of dangerous foods for people suffering from alpha-gal syndrome include pork, beef, rabbit, lamb, venison, gelatine, milk, some dairy products and certain pharmaceuticals.
Symptoms from the little-understood syndrome include stomach cramps, diarrhoea, hives and shortness of breath that could trigger fatal anaphylaxis.
Alpha-gel syndrome reactions can be different from person-to-person, ranging from mild to severe or even life-threatening, the CDC says. Anaphylaxis, a potentially life-threatening reaction involving multiple organ systems, may need urgent medical care.
But people may not have an allergic reaction after every alpha-gal exposure, the CDC notes.
Because of how slowly the body digests meat, it can be very difficult to spot any symptoms that do appear.
More than 110,000 cases have been detected since 2010, the CDC says. From 2017 to 2021 the number of cases increased by around 15,000 per year.
Due to difficulties with diagnosis, the CDC says that up to 450,000 Americans in total may have developed meat allergies due to alpha-gal.
A survey of 1,500 doctors and health workers from last year found that 42% of them had never heard of the syndrome.
In the survey, which was also released by the CDC on Thursday, about one-third of the group said they were "not too confident" in their ability to identify the disease. Only 5% said they were "very confident" in their ability.
The syndrome was not discovered until 2008 by accident after US researchers found unexpected results while testing a drug used to treat cancer.
Experts warn people to cover up outdoors and to regularly check their bodies for tick bites. Tick bites can cause several dangerous illnesses - such as Lyme disease - and are most common during warmer months.
The CDC advises people outdoors to use insect repellent, such as those containing DEET, or to pre-treat clothing with a chemical called permethrin.
The white spot on the lone star tick makes it easily identifiable
Lyme disease: The devastating impact of a tick bite
Global traveller now housebound after tick bite
IDPH: First Tick Infected With Ehrlichiosis Bacterium Found In Lake County, Ill.
CHICAGO — A tick harvested in Lake County was found to be infected with the bacterium Ehrlichia muris eauclairensis, or EME, which is known to cause the disease ehrlichiosis in humans, the Illinois Department of Public Health announced Friday.
The disease is now known to be carried by both Lone Star ticks, common to Southern Illinois, and blacklegged or deer ticks, the department said. However, all known human cases of the disease have occurred in Wisconsin and Minnesota.
A Lake Count Health Department official reportedly collected the tick May 17. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tested the tick and confirmed the presence of the bacterium.
Symptoms of ehrlichiosis include fever, headache, muscle aches, loss of appetite, nausea, and vomiting. It is typically treated with the antibiotic doxycycline, but it can have severe complications if left untreated.
IDPH offered the following advice for avoiding and treating tick bites:
If a tick is found, seek medical attention to determine the need for antibiotics. If possible, preserve the tick in a container of rubbing alcohol and bring it to medical appointments to determine its species.
According to the Illinois Tick Surveillance Map, in addition to ehrlichiosis, ticks in the region are known to carry the pathogens that cause Lyme disease; Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever; Heartland virus, and alpha-gal syndrome, sometimes referred to as a red meat allergy.
Parasites Tend To Tick Off Hunters
Thousands of Arkansans will go afield over the next few months, increasing the chances of a potentially debilitating encounter with ticks.
Ticks are more than just annoying. They can also carry diseases that can be life-threatening, like Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Lyme disease and alpha-gal syndrome. Alpha-gal is a relatively recent addition to the gallery of tick-borne illnesses. It makes the victim allergic to the consumption of red meat. There is no cure, but Alpha gal often decreases in severity over time.
Brian Anderson of Iron Mountain, Mich., has dedicated his life to warfare with ticks. He calls himself the Tick Terminator, and his mission is to spare the public from the predations of these horrible creatures.
Unfortunately, hunters are most vulnerable to tick bites because they are most likely to come in contact with them. Also at risk are electrical linemen that work on brushy electrical rights of way, loggers and landscapers.
"Ticks are pretty much a problem anyplace where there's woods because they prey on us if we're out there," Anderson said. "They look for blood. They eat one time a year. All we can do is prepare and protect ourselves and try to avoid them if we can. They're not going away."
According to Anderson, a female tick gives deposits 1,000-5,000 eggs at a time. The eggs hatch in summer, and their first meal is usually from a mouse or, in the South, a skink.
"They're (skinks) close to the ground," Anderson said. "When they're fresh born, they're right on the ground. They couldn't get on anything much bigger."
The trouble starts there.
"They get tick-borne diseases from the host," Anderson said. "They suck blood for couple days, drop off and go dormant. They grow a couple more legs."
The ticks become active again in the spring. They're about the size of poppy seeds. We call them "seed" ticks, and one usually encounters them in great numbers.
They don't have to be full grown to be problem," Anderson said. "At that age they can pass on a tick-borne disease if they got that from a host."
The larval ticks continue to grow. The following spring, they often attach to deer. They do this by climbing high on grass blades and extending their legs to catch a ride on a passing mammal. It's called "questing behavior."
Almost any deer in Arkansas harbors a large number of ticks, but infestations are high in early autumn when ticks are still active in the warm weather. Anybody that has hung a deer on a skinning rack has practically gagged at the mass of ticks that evacuate from the deer in waves. Ticks will disengage from a host almost immediately after blood stops circulating, but you will notice a lot more of them evacuating as the body cools.
You will see are big ticks, little ticks and sizes in between. There are also the swollen gray ticks that are soon to drop off and deposit their offspring. This is an important reason why you should clean and skin your deer where you shot it instead of transporting it home and importing ticks to colonize new territory.
After gorging on blood, the female drops off, deposits her eggs and dies. The males die, too.
Rapid intervention is the key to minimizing the effects of tick-borne illness. It's better all around if take precautions to prevent them from biting you in the first place. Permethrin is the best preventative, Anderson said. It fries a tick's crude nervous system and often kills them before they can drop off.
I treat my hunting clothes with permethrin. While sitting on the ground in the spring, I'm a prime target for ticks. Bowhunters will also encounter ticks walking to and from their stands. I've watched them climb onto my legs, spin around as if disoriented and die.
"Permethrin is a contact repellent," Anderson said. "It's odorless when it's dry. Hunters like that because they don't want any odor in the woods. I work with a lot of pros that use it, linemen, outdoor workers and the like."
It also remains in the fabric after repeated washings.
You can buy permethrin in spray bottles locally at any sporting goods store. Anderson sells permethrin concentrate in bulk, allowing you to mix your own when needed in any quantity.
For more information, visit lymetickbughub.Com.
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